How to install VirtualBox Guest Additions for openSUSE guest OS

How to install VirtualBox Guest Additions for openSUSE guest OS

VirtualBox (now Sun xVM) Guest Additions are a set of drivers and utilities that are shipped as a subset of VirtualBox for the purpose of being installed inside a Guest Computer to improve its performance and cooperation with the rest of the Product.

If you are running openSUSE as a guest OS and want to install the VirtualBox Guest Additions then follow the procedure below:

Install GNU C Compiler, Make and Kernel Source

The VirtualBox Guest Additions require the GNU C compiler, make utility and the Kernel-Source packages to be installed if not previously installed.

Switch user to Root and install the packages

saibaba@opensuse:~> su –
password:

opensuse:~# yast2 –install gcc gcc-c++ make kernel-source

This installs the GNU C, C++ compilers, Kernel-Source package and the make utility.

Now, from the host OS, on the Guest OS Virtualbox Devices menu, click “Install Guest Additions…” this mounts a virtual CD volume on the openSUSE guest OS under

/media/cdrom/VBOXADDITIONS_<version>

here it is

/media/cdrom/VBOXADDITIONS_1.6.2_31466

Change directory to that window and run the install script

opensuse:~# cd /media/cdrom/VBOXADDITIONS_1.6.2_31466/

opensuse:~# ./VBoxLinuxAdditions.run all

This should install the VirtualBox Guest Additions. Now restart the openSUSE guest OS for the additions to take effect. The Guest Additions improve guest performance and user experience including display settings etc.

It should be “opensuse:~# yast2 –install gcc gcc-c++ make kernel-source”
Note the double dash

For me it was “cd /media/VBOXADDITIONS_”
Note the removal of cdrom

I ran into an issue where it said the last kernel build failed,so the Guest Additions didn’t succeed.I then went to the Install Software section and installed the default kernel, and then tried to install guest additions again and it worked.

The comments make the double dash look like one dash, so it should be “opensuse:~# yast2 – -install gcc gcc-c++ make kernel-source” where there are two dashes in front of install, no space in between them.

1. Run “Install Software”
2. Press “CTRL+M” to launch Repository Manager”
3. Add “http://download.opensuse.org/repositories/Virtualization:/VirtualBox/openSUSE_11.0/” as a new repository
4. Run “Install Software” again
5. Type “virtualbox” in Search Box. (You will see three new updates of VirtualBox)
6. Right click on these new updates and select “Update”
7. Press “Accept” to finish the update progress
8. Restart your system
9. Run “sudo sh ./media/…./VBoxLinux-x86.run”
10. Restart your system

I found my problem. The linux kernels were not matching. A new kernel had been installed off the net as an update but linux source was from the CD. I believe grabbing the kernel off the net fixed the problem.

I do have a new linux kernel to put in place and new virtual box update I saw go out. I’ll post back if I have any upgrade issues.

With the 2.2.2 VirtualBox update, I followed the instructions given on the top of the page. The only issue was I manually added each package to be installed through the yast2 program itself, instead of using the terminal. I kept getting some sort of unknown command “n” errors. So manually adding one by one through the Install Software option worked just fine, just search for each program listed above. Once installed and rebooted, the additions installed perfectly, the only issue was the xorg enforcement of a static resolution which the installer will tell you how to edit the xorg.conf to remove this enforcement. Did exactly what it said, had to switch to the root user to be able to edit the conf with no permission issues. Once I edited out what the installer asked. rebooted the guest OS and all was fully functioning!

I did however temporarily change the repository priorities to give the openSuse 11.1 install DVD an important priority (50) and the net (http://download.opensuse..) a less important priority (60), so that the kernel sources wouldn’t be downloaded, but rather, installed from the DVD.

I’m having the following problem: I’m running openSuse 11 in a VirtualBox on WinVista. I Installed the GuestAdditions (using the *.x86 ISO image, because I couldn’t find an *i586 image), everything seemed to work fine (mouse sharing, desktop resizing, …)… BUT: keyboard layout was changed from German layout to American layout. Well, no big deal, changed it back to German… but after reboot, keyboard isn’t recognized anymore, neither in the login screen nor (using autologin) on the KDE or GNOME desktop.

I am having the same problem as Axel Schroeder. Does anyone know anything?

Booting in failsafe mode gives a ‘us’ (as in american) keyboard layout, which can then be changed in /etc/X11/xconf.conf.install to ‘de’ to give a german layout. But in normal mode the keyboard within the guest machine simply does not react. Outside the guest machine, e.g. the host key, everything works fine.

you have to install the same version of your kernel-source as you’re running in order to get virtualbox addon to succeed. My combo is
openSUSE 11.1
Virtualbox 3.0.8
Kernel and Kernel-source version 2.6.27.7-9.1

This combo works as long as you make sure the kernel-source version installed via yast2 is the same as the one you get after running

I am still having trouble my kernel and kernel-source same level i have kernel-syms installed and still can’t get it so i can type in the log in box. If I select fail safe i can type in the log in box. Any ideas would be greatly appreciated. Not sure what I am doing wrong.
Also when in fail safe i change desktop to Display Effects all i get is a white screen now.

I would NOT recommend this for people using SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 11. I just did it and now my VM can not detect any monitors (I haven’t changed any settings and it does have the proper permissions).